Just Curious

[PlateletGal]

I was wondering how many of you, who have either a fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E. diagnosis works or worked in the medical field and/or have family members who are in the military... or live near a military base ?

[PlateletGal]

Lyme disease is something that I think ALL of us here should be either tested for or treated for (because the treatment I'm on for CFS is the same as lyme).

The only problem with lyme disease is that the testing is often inaccurate. The preferred test for lyme is:

Lyme Borrelia Test (CPT: 86617)—Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme Disease) by Western Blot analysis. Justification: Many CFS, FMS and RA patients have this systemic infection (diagnosed as Lyme Disease) along with other co-infection(s). Recommended Lab: IGeneX Laboratories of Palo Alto, CA (http://www.igenex.com/).

For additional information on tests to have to help diagnose other infections (such as mycoplasma) ---- there are very few labs that do this testing. The regular hospital labs do NOT normally do the testing we need... they check for other mycoplasmas, but not the one that most CFS patients test positive for. Anyhow, for more information see:

http://www.immed.org/illness/clinical_testing.html

[droopy56]

     I have military connections (4 years in the Navy in the 70's) but the link was so long ago - over 30 years it might not have any bearing. Besides, I was in during peacetime, so the chances that I might have been exposed to anything harmful are slight.
     I've done some research, and I think I may have found a different link: I've been hunting and fishing ( fishing only in the past 10 years) most of my life. I spend a lot of time camping in the summer and Ohio has one of the largest deer populations in this part of the country. Do you see where I'm going with this? LYME DISEASE!!! I've finally found a doctor who will listen to me and not dismiss everything I say. He ordered the test for Lyme disease and I had the blood drawn last week, so the results will probably be in next week.
    I'm surprised that, given the deer population in this county (usually 1st or 2nd in deer taken every fall in the state) that doctors aren't better educated about Lyme disease, because my PCP had to look up the symptoms, which match mine perfectly.
     Why is it so hard for us to find doctors who are more open-minded and will listen to us? Life would be so much easier if there were more like the one I found who will speak to me and not talk down to me, and will actually listen to what I have to say.  I guess I just got lucky and found one of those rare ones.

[corienb]

I was studying medicine when I got sick.

[PlateletGal]

I'm getting my life back... slowly but surely. As Professor Nicolson said, treatment can be slow. But in my opinion and from personal experience, the pay off is HUGE.

My muscle aches are the latest symptom that is disappearing ! ; ^ )

[Ree4tu]

Well I can say I believe in Dr. Nicolson's research and I have had the antibody test for one mycoplasma species and I do have antibodies to it, so mycoplasma infections are real and do exist. I have worked in the healthcare field and social service field, probably been exposed to more germs than one can imagine. I also live 5 min. from a VA Medical Hospital. My area is full of people with Fibro and other strange autoimmune diseases. We also have Lyme Disease. There is definitely a link. I will try anything to give me even half of my life back.

[kitty51]

am a ex army wife!! Interestesting eh!!